Egmont

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from 1788

About

Goethe's Egmont (completed 1788) dramatizes the historical Count Egmont, a Flemish noble executed by the Duke of Alba during the Spanish suppression of the Netherlands Revolt. Beethoven wrote his celebrated Egmont Overture for a Vienna production in 1810, cementing the play's cultural status. Goethe's Egmont is somewhat idealized — more carefree and less politically calculating than the historical figure — but the play's central argument about the cost of freedom and the dignity of resistance gives it enduring power. Swanwick's Victorian translation is reliable if formal.

Translated from the original German.

Tragedy History Play Romantic Defiant Moving Solemnen

Egmont

Characters: 23
Words: 22.6k
Acts: 5
Duration: ~2 hr 49 min

Characters

#CharacterPlayerLines

1

Count Egmont

—

158

2

Clara

—

79

3

Jetter

—

71

4

Alva

—

46

5

Soest

—

43

6

Regent

—

42

7

Carpenter

—

40

8

Vansen

—

39

12 sections

22.6k words

#TitleWords

Act I

1

Act I Scene I.—Soldiers and Citizens (with cross-bows)

2k14:59

2

Act I Scene II.—Palace of the Regent

1.8k13:42

3

Act I Scene III.—Citizen's House

9997:30

Act II

4

Act II Scene I.—Square in Brussels

1.8k13:43

5

Act II Scene II.—Egmont's residence

3.2k23:56

Act III

6

Act III Scene I.—Palace of the Regent Margaret of Parma

1k7:36

7

Act III Scene II.—Clara's dwelling

1.2k9:19

Act IV

8

Act IV Scene I.—A Street

1.5k11:16

9

Act IV Scene II.—The Palace of Eulenberg, Residence of the Duke of Alva

4.3k32:33

Act V

10

Act V Scene I.—A Street. Twilight

1.3k10:01

11

Act V Scene III.—Clara's House

1.2k8:42

12

Act V Scene IV.—A Prison

2.1k15:56

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